For 12th ASEAN Summit: Delegates start arriving today

After months of preparation and a postponement that had dismayed many last month, the delegates to the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit are to arrive starting today for the event that officially kicks off on Friday.

Set to arrive today would be ministers from ASEAN countries and its partners.



There would be nine foreign ministers - Win Nyan of Myanmar, George Yeo of Singapore, Dato Seri Syed Hamid Albar of Malaysia, Dr. Nur Hassan Wirajuda of Indonesia, Namhong Hor of Cambodia, Thonglun Sisoulith of Laos, Nitya Pibulsonggram of Thailand, Katsuhito Asano of Japan, and Song Min-soom of South Korea.

Also arriving are Trade Ministers Tha Soe of Myanmar, Lim Hng Kiang of Singapore, Dato Seri Rafidah Aziz of Malaysia, Nam Viyaketh of Laos and Kim Hyun-chong of South Korea. They will be joined by Singapore senior official Peter Ho and Thai senior economic official Krirk-Krai Jirapa-et.

The rest of the foreign ministers participating in the summit are due tomorrow, along with five heads of state and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The security forces for the summit have also declared a no-fly zone over the meeting and billeting venues, but this would only apply to small aircraft.

Retired General Leo Alvez, head of the National Organizing Committee Security Committee, clarified that commercial airlines would be allowed to fly over the venues since it has been a policy during the event not to disrupt the operations of the airline companies.

Weather's Not A Problem

After the postponement of the summit last December due to typhoon Seniang, the weather has become a factor that worries many people.

Ambassador Marciano Paynor, National Organizing Committee Secretary General, said it is all systems go for the summit despite the bad weather that Cebu has been experiencing since last week because of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone.

Paynor said, the organizing committee has "covered all bases." In fact they gave an offering to the Carmelite sisters, who are known to help pray for good weather during events.

The organizing committee has also reportedly procured more than 500 umbrellas.

"There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that the summit will push through...in the event the weather continues, we just have to accept it as it is...we just have to contend with it. There's still a chance that we can have sunshine," Paynor said.

Security Forces Are Ready

Countries that have issued travel advisories on Cebu have not lifted the same, but Alvez assured that the security forces here are ready for the summit.

He said 5000 additional security personnel will augment the security force for the summit while 500 others will be detailed to augment the security for the Sinulog festivities just days after the summit itself.

The security task forces conducted two dry runs yesterday to address possible kinks in the movement of the key delegates to the CICC from their billeting areas.

Only one dry run was set in the morning, but a second one was held mid afternoon.

Two motorcycle policemen were injured during the morning dry run after they fell off their bikes while negotiating a curve in Mandaue City.

Taken to the Mandaue City District Hospital were PO1s Arcadio Bool and Teddy Flaga, from the Traffic Management Group-4 attached to the Presidential Security Group as escorts of the Cambodian convoy.

Flaga blamed a civilian on board a motorcycle, who refused to obey his signal to slow-down and clear the intersection, for the incident. While trying to tell the man to move over, Flaga failed to notice the concrete barrier ahead of him resulting to the accident.

Bool, who was forced to skid off the road to avoid Flaga suffered the more serious injuries, but both of them are out of danger.

Chief Supt. Silverio Alarcio,Jr. the security task force-Cebu commander told reporters yesterday that they have found some problems with regards to how some units responded.

Among the problems that Alarcio noted was the failure of those tasked to man the tow trucks that would help clear the ceremonial route to immediately remove two stalled vehicles that we intentionally deployed to test their capability.

He also noted that several people were crossing the ceremonial route and some vehicles continued to pass through the area even if it had been closed to allow the convoys to have easy access.

"Ang nakita natin eh may mga pedestrians crossing the ceremonial routes, may mga PUJs and motorcycles na matitigas ang ulo, they must be prevented from crossing to avoid accidents," Alarcio said.

The 41 security cameras deployed at the ceremonial route were noted to have reallay served their purpose, but there are correctable minor problems that were seen.

Despite of the setbacks, Alarcio claimed that the exercise was successful because they managed to finish the exercise less than an hour both sides, Cebu City and Lapu-Lapu city leading to CICC routes.

The dry ran actually started 8 o'clock in the morning, but the closure of the ceremonial route in in Lapu-Lapu actually commenced 9:10 and was ordered open by 9:35.

In the Cebu City area, the closure of the routes from Marco Polo Hotel, Waterfront Hotel and Casino has started at 9:25 and was ordered open for motorist 9:50.

However, Alarcio admitted that there are some sectors of the ceremonial route that opened late because of communication problems.

Sr. Supt. Ronald Roderos, the spokesperson of the security task force-Cebu told The Freeman that starting today the PNP will be put on full alert.

Looking Forward To The Summit

"I hope that all of us can look forward to the 12th ASEAN Summit with positive anticipation and eagerness," said Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia in the first press briefing at the CICC yesterday afternoon.

Today, the Senior Economic Officials Meeting is expected to resume along with the ASEAN Summit preparatory meeting and the Special ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting. The ministerial and economic meetings and the ASEAN Plus 3 foreign ministers working lunch will commence tomorrow.